Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for their father from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have a Children’s Day, or an unusual day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do — buy, buy, buy, buy, buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present — not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.
56．Father’s Day was started just because ___________.
A．there was a Mother’s Day B．there was a Children’s Day
C．shopkeepers wanted to get a lot of money D．people liked their fathers very much
57．The word “unusual” in the second paragraph means _____________.
A．great B．nice C．useful D．special
58．In America, people have a Father’s Day to ____________.
A．buy some presents for their fathers B．show their love for their fathers
C．let their fathers have a good rest D．help their fathers do something
59．On Father’s Day, shopkeepers always want ______________.
A．people to buy many more presents
B．children to buy presents only for their fathers
C．women to buy presents only for their husbands
D．people to buy presents only for their parents
60．We can learn from the passage that ______________.
A．the writer is against（反对） Father’s Day
B．many countries have a Father’s Day
C．shopkeepers can get more money on Father’s Day
D．Father’s Day will become more important than Mother’s Day
56．A
57．D
58．B
59．A
60．C
【分析】
这篇短文给我们介绍了父亲节的由来，人们的庆祝方式。在过父亲节的时候，人们都会买礼物送给父亲，向父亲表达他们的爱。商家们也很高兴，因为在这个时候他们可以赚到很多钱。
56．细节理解题。根据短文第一段中It was started because there was a Mother’s Day, and just because some American thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day可知，有父亲节的原因是因为有母亲节，一些美国人觉得如果有母亲节，那么就应该有父亲节。由此可知应选A。
57．词义猜测题。根据划线单词所在的句子By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have a Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls可知，我们知道父亲节是专门给父亲过的节日，还有儿童节，是给孩子们的。那么special 指的就是专门给男孩或者女孩们过的节日。因此special是特殊的，专门的，也就是not usual，不寻常的。故选D。
58．推理判断题。根据短文的最后The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American Children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way可知，人们庆祝父亲节，这样孩子们就可以用一种更加公开的方式向父亲表达他们的爱。故最佳答案是D。A选项在短文中也提到了，在父亲节的时候，孩子们都会给父亲买礼物，但是庆祝父亲节不仅仅是买礼物，向父亲表达爱才是更重要的。
59．细节理解题。根据短文第一段中Father’s Day has become important in North America. And businesses found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for their father, a present from their shops可知，很多商家都发现庆祝父亲节是一种很好的方式，可以让人们去给他们的父亲买礼物，这样商店就可以赚钱。由此可知应选A。
60．推理判断题。根据短文中Father’s Day has become important in North America. And businesses found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for their father, a present from their shops.以及buy, buy, buy, buy, buy a Father’s Day present for your father可知，人们庆祝父亲节，可以向自己的父亲表达爱。对于商家来说，这是一个盈利的好机会，因为在这个节日里，人们都会给自己的父亲买礼物，这样他们就可以赚到很多钱。因此C选项是正确的。
点睛：这篇短文讲述了父亲节的由来以及人们如何庆祝父亲节。短文中心突出，内容比较容易理解。做题时，要把握文章的中心，为什么要庆祝父亲节，这对于商家有什么好处。例如第3小题，虽然短文中提到了在过父亲节的时候，孩子们都会买礼物，但是向父亲表示爱才是重要的，故最佳答案是D；再例如第4小题和第5小题，父亲节的时候，人们都会买礼物，所以商家都会很赚钱。
Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254. When he was 17, he travelled along the Silk Road with his father, who wanted to do trade with the Chinese. Finally, they arrived in Beijing. They were guests at the Emperor’s Palace. Although Marco was young, he was very clever and could speak four languages. The Emperor was impressed by him and they became friends. The Emperor asked Marco to help him and sent him to do many important jobs all over the country.
Marco was amazed by how great China was. He was impressed by the Emperor’s Palace which he described as “The greatest palace that I’ve ever seen”. The walls were covered with gold and silver and the hall was so large.
Marco was also attracted by lots of strange things in China. Marco was surprised to see Chinese people using paper money in the markets. In Europe, people paid for goods with gold and silver. He could not understand how people paid for food and valuable things with paper! He was also puzzled by the black stones people used to burn to produce heat. The black stones were coal, but Marco had never seen coal before!
After he served the Emperor for 17 years, in 1291, Marco returned to Italy. He had a lot of money then. A writer wrote down all the stories that Marco told him in a book called The Description of the World , which became one of the best-selling books in Europe.
阅读短文，填表格，每空一词。
| Marco Polo and China | |
| Before 1 ． in China | He was born in Italy in 1254. At the age of 17, he travelled to China along the Silk Road with his father. |
| During his living in China | He made friends with the Chinese Emperor. He helped the Emperor do many 2 ． jobs around China. The beauty of China 3 ． him. He described the Summer Palace as the greatest palace that he had ever seen. Some things which he never saw before attracted him. Paper money was used in the markets. The Chinese used coal to produce heat. |
| After returning to Italy | He became very 4 ． . A book was 5 ． about his travelling experiences. |
